Movie Thoughts: Godzilla Minus One (2023)

• Released: November 1, 2023
  
• Directed by: Takashi Yamazaki
• Running time: 2h 4min
• Rating 5/5

Synopsis

An ex-kamikaze pilot must face his trauma to stand against the monstrosity known as Godzilla.

My Thoughts

I really don't have much to say here except that this movie is just really, really good. Yeah, that's me, the not-so-big kaiju fan, saying that. Most kaiju movies (similar to superhero movies) are just not really my thing but this is just really solid.

What really carries this movie though is the characters, particularly our lead Kōichi and deuteragonist Noriko, who just are super well-written and have this kind of unique relationship throughout the film. They're living together and raising a daughter together, but they're not in a relationship (at least not throughout the majority of the film) and it takes Noriko being presumed dead for Kōichi to actually realize he does love her. The characters really were the highlight of the film.

If I do have to pose one criticism it's that the CGI isn't always perfect. I'm not calling it bad, don't get me wrong, but it does look a tad fake at times. But that might be the smaller budget, and it in no way took me out of the movie.

Overall this is a super good movie and my favorite kaiju film I've seen to date. Which granted haven't been a lot, but it sure is my favorite.